Navidades Boricuas!!! Puerto Rican Christmas!!

The best season for me to write a post is Christmas Season, beacause in Puerto Rico you have the longest Christmas you can imagen. We begin our Christmas right after Thanksgiving Day, after you eat the turkey all the decorations and the tree is set up. In Puerto Rico we have something call Parrandas or Trullas Navideñas, which could be compare to the Carolers but with an up beat  music and a lot of spirit. The Parrandas are made by a group of people with traditional instruments, being the percussion instruments a very important part of the great sound that comes out.

With the music you can't let out the food! First we have lechón, which is roosted pork on a metal stick under the fair. Then the traditional arroz con gandules, combination of rice with pigeons peas, and of course the morcilla, which is like a sausage made with pork blood and cooked rice. Also there is the pasteles, green bananas mass with pork or chicken inside made with different ingredients like chickpeas, olives, bell pepper, and other recipes, all this wrapped with the plantain leave and wax paper.

Arroz con gandules and pasteles, all the rights of the picture to its respected owner.

Morcilla, all the rights of the pictures to its respected owner.

But you need to drink something with that incredible food! Not a problem, you want something sweet with a little alcohol on it, well we have Puerto Rican eggnog...Coquito!! Without the egg is better, some people do it with different kinds of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, etc.) and now some also use Nutella, but the traditional is with coconut milk or cream, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and of curse Rum, some people use Ron Caña or Pitorro. Oh, you don't know what is Ron Caña? Well, let me tell you about it. This strong alcoholic beverage is a traditional drink made with molasses, water, and yeast. People who makes this kind of rum tend to mixed it with fruits and curated it by burying the bottles in the ground for a long period of time.    

Pitorro or Ron Caña, all the rights of the picture to its respected owner.

All the rights to its respected owner.

Well all this food, drinks, and music are part of our Puerto Rican culture. But our Christmas don't end on this particular day, it goes till eight days after Three Kings Day on January 6. And right after this the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian on Old San Juan, three days with all the Puerto Rican Culture you can get on one place. With this our festivities end, and we came back to our normal agendas. I hope you like the post and come to visit Puerto Rico on its best season, our temperature is the same all year ^.~ Comment and share, Merry Christmas!!!

Did They Got Married?

Variety world in South Korea is very clever and refreshing. An example of this is the variety/reality show We Got Married from channel MBC. Who else thought about pairing two celebrities and start a fake marriage? Well, Koreans did, and they did it good.

 All the rights to their respected owners.

They show started on February of 2008 and it aired on Sundays, with every week giving the couples missions to complete. It was a way of showing how would it be if they where really married. At first, the couple didn't know who their partner would be until their first meet. After their filming the production team interviewed the couples separately to know how they felt around their mates. The program also has a panel of host that are watching what the couple did along the week, also commenting on their progress along the show. Remember that Korean television is not like American TV, it's a show very innocent and pure who is aiming to younger audience, so don't expect all the drama and full make out sessions from shows like the Bachelor or Bachelorette. A simple gesture like holding hands is a big deal to them, skinship is more restrictive for Korean TV.


I personally don't watch all the show, just look for the couples that I have an interest to watch. First of all, I haven't seen a couple from the first season, I started with the second season with the Khuntoria couple (Nichkhun and Victoria). From now on I will mention some of the couples that I liked and the ones that didn't got to me.



1. JoKwon & Gain, Season 2: The Adam Couple
    JoKwon is a member of the ballad boy group 2AM, while Gain is part of the girl group Brown
    Eyed Girl. Since the first episode you don't stop laughing, they knew each other before the show
    and where a little awkward at the beginning but it changed real quick. JoKwon is well known on
    the on the variety world because of his exuberant attitude, while Gain has an strong character
    for which they sometimes fight but it wasn't for a long. They are two years apart, being Gain the
    older one on the relationship. The name Adam Couple comes on the third episode when her
    brothers in laws pointed out that they are small, and the Korean word for small its pronounced
    like Adam.

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2. Nichkhun & Victoria, Season 2-3: Khuntoria Couple
    Nichkhun is one of the members of the male idol group 2PM, while Victoria is the leader of the
    girl group f(x).The Khuntoria Couple was the longest couple on the show, followed by the Adam
    Couple and the Goguma Couple. They were also the first international couple, since he is
    Thai-American and she is Chinese. The interaction between them was something very refreshing,
    he always was attentive towards her and she was to him. There where some feelings around.
    The first couple that I wished they where real ^.~

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3. Eunjung & Lee JangWoo, Season 3: WooJung Couple, Walkang Walkang Couple
    Ham Eujung is member of the girl group T-ara, and also an actress better know for her character
    on Dream High and Coffee House. Lee JangWoo is an actor which also has a really good singing
    voice and talent on the acoustic guitar, he got really popular with the drama Smile, Dong Hae
    where he was the antagonist. They got the Walkang Walkang name when Eujung said the
    expression while walking on the grass at their honeymoon vacation.

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4. Leeteuk & Kang Sora, Season 3: Dimple Couple
    Leeteuk is the leader of the boy idol group Super Junior, and Kang Sora is an actress that was
    famous at that time for the movie Sunny and from a few dramas back then but now she is well
    known for dramas like Misaeng and Mendorong Totot (Warm and Cozy). The name Dimple
    Couple was given since both of them have dimples. I really wished that this couple was real
    because they seemed very genuine towars each other, they even shared a kiss on the last
    episode. I'm still waiting the announcement of their relationship!

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5. Jinwoo & Go JoonHee, Season 4: Extreme Couple
    Jinwoo is a member of the male ballad group 2AM, while JoonHee is a model turned actress.
    They where 6 years apart (7 in Korean culture), but that did not made a difference between
    them. She loved idol groups, and had a great sense of style like him which was great for the
    relationship. They are both very tall and together where a great visual. They where the
    extreme couple because of their progress on the show, with a lot of skinship in a little time.
    It was really entertaining watching them, because it wasn't as cheesy as other couples.
    They seemed real on their feelings towards each other, for which it was hard to see them
    go separate ways.

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6. Jang Wooyoung & Park Seyoung, Season 4: Young Couple
    Wooyoung is a member of the idol group 2PM, while Park Seyoung started as a singer but then
    turned to acting. It was named the Young Couple since both of their names ended the same, with
    Young. Since the beginning I liked the couple, because he was just clumsy when talking and she
    was just trying to adjust to her new life as a wife. As the time pass for the couple they got closer
    and really started to like each other, they even kissed on the last episode.

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7. Nam Goongmin & Hong Jinyoung, Season 4: Battery Couple
    Nam Goongmin is an actor, while Hong Jinyoung is a trot singer and tv personality. She was one
    of the members of the WGM panel which was more surprising to the new husband. A couple on
    their 30's was the best to watch, since they are on the best age to get married. The name Battery
    Couple comes from one of her songs, Love Battery. Since the first episode was fun watching
    them, she has a very bright personality and he is very straight forward with what he thinks.
    Their sincere personalities was what got to me, it was like watching a real couple managing
    everyday tasks. They cared for each other and it was fun to watch how they got closer with
    every episode. For me they where the best looking couple, because they seemed very realistic.

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Now the couples that I didn't like. For me it wasn't as natural as the other couples on the show, they seemed awkward most of the time and didn't have a closer relationship as the other couples.

1.  Jung Yong Hwa & Seohyun, Season 2: Goguma Couple
     Yong Hwa is member of the boy band CNBLUE while Seohyun is the youngest among the girl
     group Girls Generation (SNSD). Since the begining Seohyun was restricted towards Yong, always
     speking formal to him. For me it was frustrating watching her, the husband was always trying to
     make her more comfortable but she draw the line between them. In very few occasions she let
     her guard dawn. Goguma is Korean for sweet potato, which was her favorite food and the code
     with her members to let them know that she liked her husband.

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2. Lee Taemin & Son Naeun, Season 4: Innocent Couple
    Taemin is member of the boy idol group SHINee, Naeun is member of the girl group Apink.
    Since the beginning I didn't like the couple, they seemed awkward and more like sunbae (senior)
    and hoobae (junior) that are respectful terms use on the Korean culture. Then the relationship
    got a little closer but for me they where more like friends with some kind of feelings not like
    a couple.

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    For me the only entertaining episodes where when Key (one of the members of SHINee) and
    Eunji (another member of Apink) came on the scene. On an episode Key mentioned to Taemin 
    that he had to set up a blind date with one of the members of Apink, since he was helping him 
    with his relationship. From all the members of Apink he mentioned Eujin, since he liked her
    on a drama that she did and her attitude. With that the story of  the new couple was born. They
    shared a good chemistry on screen and I would've for them to be a couple, but it didn't happen
    (then he was cast for WGM Global Edition with Japanese model Yagi Arisa). I would say that
    the Key & Eunji Couple is a plus ^.~

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Well this is all I have to say about WGM. It's a unique show with some cuteness around, so if you like to watch a PG-13 romance you are good to go. Some are just PG on American culture, but is nice to watch some innocent love on TV for once. Hope you liked my review on the show! ^.^

To the Center of the Island: A trip to Jayuya

When people think Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, they think about the beach. But there is a lot more than beautiful beaches and tropical drinks on my Enchanting Island. At the inside of the Island you can explore incredible landscapes, filled with leafy trees and magical singing from the birds and coquíes. And the Municipio that we are going to explore on the mountainous Puerto Rico is: Jayuya, known as the center of our Taíno history. 

First stop, Museum of the History of Jayuya, there you can see a painting with iconic reference about the history of the Municpio and also a wall with all the ex-Mayors of the City, also next to the museum there is a very good coffee shop for you to try (Paliques Café). Right next to the coffee shop there is a staircase where the Monument of the Cacique Hayuya lays, a sculpture of the Cacique and a medallion of the "dios Sol" decors the stairs that lead you to the "Indio Puertorriqueño" tomb.    

"Jayuya: Cuando nos separamos de Utuado, 2010"

Grisergio Rivera Gonzáles

                                              

                                                      

The Cultural Center Alberto Suárez can be found when you climb all the way up the stairs. Stablished since 1986, this building has some expositions about our indigenous past. From tools that the Taínos used to some from the colonials, and also you can see the catholic influence on wood sculptures around the center.      

A few minutes away there is one of the most characteristics museums on town, Museo el Cemí. This museum is particularly interesting since is has the shape of one of the most well know pieces that the Taínos possessed, the cemí. A cemí is an artefact that the Taínos used for religious purposes. At the museum you can see pictures of indigenous findings around the Island, also tools and artefacts are spouse. Next to the museum you can visit Casa Canales, which is a replica of the house of Don Rosario Canales Quintero, the first mayor of Jayuya. Also there are the remains of the national hero Nemesio R. Canales.  

The last stop of the trip was to "La Piedra Escrita", an historical place on the Salientito River. The incredible rock has engravings from the Taínos, which has being subject of study from a great number of archeologists. Since 1994 there has being great efforts from the Education and Cultural Commission of the House of Representatives to declare the Petroglyphs a National Monument.     

Well, this is just a pick of what you can explore at the center of Puerto Rico and Jayuya. There is a lot more you can do on the Municpio, and on the Island. Hope you enjoy your visit to Puerto Rico anytime soon!! ^.^♥

A piece of South Korea in Puerto Rico

A few weeks ago I went with my friends to a Korean restaurant, and it was a great experience for me. Since I got into Korean culture a few years back I was always curios about their food, it seemed spacy and with a lot of vegetables. Finally I got the chance to tasted, and it was amazing!!

Located at Montemar Plaza 205 Calle Federico Costa in Hato Rey, PR, TaKo- Korean BBQ Taco is a fusion of Korea and Mexican food. The idea came from the streets of L.A., where traditional Korean street food meets tortilla tacos. They stablished on October of 2011 on San Juan, P.R., and since is the only Korean restaurant on the San Juan Metropolitan Area.

Their menu includes: tacos, burritos, al plato, salads, bibimbab, gimbap, and Korean ramen, the plates can be with chicken, galbi (steak), chorizo, bulgogi (beef), mixed, and with veggie. They also have a topin bar and hot bar (spicy ingredients), you can choose what you want on your order. For drinks you can have the traditional soft drinks or can order Bubble Tea, which the flavors can be strawberry, taro, mango, papaya, etc. They also have kimchi!!

On the top there is galbi ramen (non spicy), gimbap, and taro Bubble Tea; on the other dish is spicy ramen with cheese and also rice and kimchi.

On my perspective the food was really good but to pricey, being the only Korean restaurant at San Juan the price for the ramen is to high even though the taste is great. If you want to try something new you can go visit them and experience some Korean culture, they also have k-pop music on ^.^

You can check out their web site for more information: http://www.takopr.com/

A look underground: Rio Camuy Cave Park

I would like you to take a look at one of the amazing landscapes that surround the Island of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico being the smallest of the Greater Antilles it has a lot of beautiful spots to visit around, one of them being the Rio Camuy Cave Park located at the Municipio of Camuy with around 300 acres of land. The Rio Camuy is the body of water that goes through the Cave Park and it is the third underground river more abundant around the world. Recently it has being designated as the First Natural Enchantment of Puerto Rico, with approximately 45 million years.

This underground system has Cueva Clara as its main Cave, where you can get a good look around of its amazing stalactites and stalagmites. On the pad that you have to get to go through the cave you have to be extremely cautious of its slippery floors, that's why you have to get a good grip on the handles. As you know it's very dark, it's a cave, but it has little light around for you to see the way around. At every visit to the cave you have a guide with you that is bilingual and that explains to you what are you going to see on the tour, if you stay behind it might be a little difficult for you to listen what is he talking about.
 

Entrance fee: $15.00 adults and $10.00 kids (4-12 years), groups might vary on low season. Visits from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., if the Park and climate conditions are good. They also have a camping area, were you pay $5.00 per person.

 

Hope you go and visit if the opportunity comes ^.^ ♥


 

Family Outing Season 1: where all begins

Before Running Man was created there was a show where you could laugh a lot and relate to the members. Family Outing was created with the purpose to let a family on the country side of South Korea a 2 day vacations, so a group of celebrities gather to take care of the farming work and the house. But it is obvious that there has to be games involve. The Family members at the first season of the show (2008-2010) where Yoo Jae Suk (from RM), taking the position of MC on the show and also being part of mockery around the other members but specially of Lee Hyo Ri. Hyo Ri was well known for being an ex-member of a very popular k-pop girl group (Fin.K.L) and then solo artist, getting the title of "Queen of K-pop". These two members of the family took the title of the "Nations Siblings" for their extraordinary performance on the show, and how close they seemed teasing each other as real siblings would do. To these two we add the incredible "dongsae" or little brother, Kang Daesung, from the international group sensation  Big Bang. Every time JaeSuk and Daesung got together their personalities came out on the show as being in complete sink but also silly and dumb, getting the title of "Dumb and Dumber" by their sibling HyoRi. The other members that stay till the end of the first season were actor and director Kim Sooro (A Gentleman's Dignity) and Yoon Jong Shin (singer, composer and TV personality). Sooro was given the title of "stepmother" since he scolded and bossed around family member actor Lee Chun Hee, he then passed to be "Chunderella". Actress Park Ye Jin wow the family members and the audience by handling well every living creature and cleaning the fish for the meals. At every episode there was a guest who helped the family out and also let another side of them shine in front of the camera at the country side. Lee Chun Hee and Park Ye Jin stay at the show till 2009 and their lasts episodes were 52 and 53, with this new family members came along.

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A new member was added to the family since the 19th episode, singer Kim Jong Kook (Tiger at RM) was part of the family till the end of the first season. It was Kim Jong Kook's first show after mandatory military service. Being the new male member of the family made the girls a little excited and awkward at the beginning, and also the other members try to make a love line between Jong Kook and the girls. For the 54th episode the family welcomed new members. Actor Park Hae Jin and actress/model Park Si Yeon became part of the show, Hae Jin with his fresh style and good looks did not disappoint the audience when it came to good entertainment. Even though Si Yeon and Hyo Ri are the same age every time you saw them together the feeling was completely different, Si Yeon let the audience watch what a person from the city that haven't interact with nature would manage around this kind of habitat.

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The last episode was aired on February 10, 2010, and all the former family members came along. The show was placed on SBS headquarters as an award show, Family Awards. The first award given was the Friendship Award to Kim Jong Kook  and Lee Hyo Ri, their constant fights brought them closer and gave the audience a good laughs. Follow up it came the Strength Award, this award was given to the strongest member of the family, and that was Park Ye Jin with her sweet and savage image along the tasks on the show. Next was the Stupid Award, the nominees for this awards made us laugh so hard with their silly statements and stupid actions along the show. The ultimate winners of this award were Dumb & Dumber, Yoo Jae Suk and Kang Daesung. Then the Pity Award was given to the member who make himself pathetic around the others and look pitiful to the audience, the family member that made this requirements was the "sickly elderly" Yoon Jong Shin. The viewers also vote for their top 5 moments along the show during games. This games moments were:

5. Foul Play Siblings at the Haenumi Village in Gochang, with guest Xiah Junsu from JYJ and U-know Yunho from TVXQ, aired on October 12, 2008. The game consisted on a muddy beach where the members had a race and it was obvious that some cheating would made an appearance on the game.

4. Crude Warrior at the Kangol Village in Bosung aired on July 13, 2008 with Park Hae Jin. With bamboo background the family members didn't waste any time to play action scenes like on Chinese films, what brought lots of laughs to the members and audience. 

3. Falling Hyo Ri at the Mamtuh Village in Gangwon Providence aired on June 15, 2008 with Kim Dong Wan from Shinhwa. Hyo Ri and Ye Jin doing an obstacle race against each other made the day, but the most funny of all was the amount of times that Hyo Ri felt trying to jump over blocks of hay.

2. The day Jae Suk got planted in Sukmo Village aired on December 7, 2008, with guest Lee Soo Kyung. When doing Lee Chun Hee and Yoo Jae Suk were playing a game of turning his partner (Jae Suk) around his body (Chun Hee) without dropping him the results were not as good as they planned, what it leave Chun Hee dropping Jae Suk on his face twice on the process of the turn.  

1. At the center of the world calling Taeyeong's name at Gasong Village in Andong on September 14, 2008 with guest Taeyeong from Girls Generation. When the family members decided to go on a cliff diving competition the males of the family didn't doubt to call out Taeyeong's name before going for the jump, what it made the girls mad and give the guys bad points at the results table.  

 Lee Chun Hee at the edge of the cliff calling for Taeyeong

Also the viewers decide the best bed rankings along the show. Every night before going to bed the family members with the guest had to go along with the bed rankings, what later on would determinate the positions on the limited space for sleeping. The top 5 rankings were:

5. The Grasshopper take of his pants, at Sukmo Village on December 14, 2008. Doing a break up scene with "sister" Hyo Ri, Jae Suk took of some of his clothing after Hyo Ri claimed to have given it to him as gifts, this at the end let him without his pants.

4. Jae Suk drinks water, at Baekmiri Village in Hwasung County on August 3, 2008. While competing for the top spots on the ranking Jae Suk and Jong Shin tried to do a sexy dance that came up as a comedy dance, when Jae Suk was simulating to play the flute with the hose and the staff decide that it would be more entertaining if it was on, what made him drink a little water. 

3.  Savage Ye Jin the best at aegyo, at Gasong Village in Andong on September 21, 2008. The girls also need to make their way to the top, and that is why Park Ye Jin won the hearts of the guys when it was time to demonstrate her cute and innocent way against sibling Hyo Ri and guest Taeyeong from Girls Generation.    

2. Until death, Shin Hyun Joon at Sagik Village in Goesan on September 13, 2008. When guest Shin Hyun Joon tries the 30 songs karaoke challenge and the song "Space A's Sexy Man" comes along, it brought laughs to all the members as he miss the first note with every try. 

1.  Chocolate bribery incident with Ye Jin, at the Haenumi Village at Gochang on October 19, 2008. After Ye Jin did a sexy dance and gave four of the guys chocolates to get the votes she needed to win first place on the rankings Chun Hee found out that she had more chocolates hidden, with this a big commotion was made and the members with the exception of Ye Jin decided to redo the voting. But at the end the winner remain Park Ye Jin with her chocolate bribery. 

The last award given on the Family Awards was the Most Hateful. The nominees for the award were all the family members, even though they did everything they could to bring laughs to the audience sometimes the most hateful part of them was revealed on the show annoying the other members. But on a poll two of the members were selected to go face to face for the award, Yoo Jae Suk and Kim Sooro. The winner was Sooro, it might have being because of the way he ordered around without working (specially to Chun Hee) or when he brought up some superiority to the scene when younger actors came to the show. 

For almost two years the members from Family Outing gave laughter to the audience and great memories to the families they helped along the way, leaving behind lots of love and receiving love as well.

I hope you liked this review and share if you want. Thanks for the support!!!! ^   

                           

"Run, don't walk": Running Man, an introduction

Since last year I have being watching variety programs from South Korea, and it turns out that they are really entertaining. The first show that I watched was Running Man, one of the shows with more views around Asia, with a unique structure and very creative writers. Seven members (six men and a woman) with a mission to complete the race and win, this is the purpose of the show. Some times with guest appearance like actors, singers, announcers, athletes, and entertainment personalities, with whom you can have a blast with all the nonsense of the games and challenges along the way.

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On July of 2010 SBS has giving us one of the greatest variety shows of South Korea making us laugh our guts out. The original cast members where all men; Yoo Jae Suk "Grasshopper, Yoo-mes Bond, Yoo-ruce Willis", Ji Suk Jin "Impala or Big Nose", Kim Jong Kook "Tiger, Sparta, Commander, Mr. Capable", Gary "Peaceful Gary, Random Mr. Capable, Monday Boyfriend", HaHa "Haroro, Kid", Lee Kwang Soo "Giraffe, Traitor, Kwangvatar, Unlucky Hand", and Song Joong Ki "Flower Boy". For 41 episodes these cast drag us to a new world, the world of Korean variety shows with a lot of nonsense and creativity. But what defines Running Man is the name tag elimination game, the survivor wins. The winner of the race would get a price of gold (jewelry, trophies, medals, etc.) and the losers would have to take a punishment. On the second episode the guest where Goo Hara from the girl group Kara, and actress Song Ji Hyo, who then turn out to be one of the fixed members. The alias of the actress are "Ace", "Blank Ji Hyo", "Miss Mong", and even "Gold Ji Hyo" being the member with most wins on the show. Song Joong Ki last appearance on the show was on April 2011, leaving the show to concentrate on his acting career. Another member was once part of the Running Man, Lizzy, which is part of the girl group After School and sub-unit Orange Caramel. She only stayed for 8 episodes on 2011, and was a guest for a previous 2. After that the fixed members stayed as 7, a number that later on was going to be on a few episodes. Now, I will talk about a few facts about this amazing cast that all of you should know.

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• Yoo Jae Suk: known as the "Nations MC", Yoo Jae Suk is a well-recognized TV host and comedian. His first appearance on TV was on 1991 on a Comedy Festival, in which he uses a grasshopper hat, for which he later on got the nickname of "Grasshopper". He is well known around Asia, and currently have five shows airing (Infinite Challenge; Running Man; Happy Together; Same Bed, Different Dreams; Two Yoo Project, Finding Sugar Man). Jae Suk is like the heart of "Running Man", he is the one that keeps together the members and is the MC of the show. One of the characteristics that we can see while watching the show is the close relationship he has with all the members and also with a great number of guests.       

• Kim Jong Kook: Jong Kook is a ballad singer who previously was part of the kpop group Turbo on the mid 90's. His variety show debut was on "X-Man", a show where he sheared the scene with Yoo Jae Suk and HaHa, on this show he had a love line with actress Yoon Eun Hye. This rumored relationship hasn't been cleared up since the early 2000's, for which the "Running Man" members still tease him. After his mandatory military service discharge on 2008 he made his music comeback and variety comeback with "Family Outing" on 2009, later on 2010 it was set as part of the cast for a new show, "Running Man".     

• Ji Suk Jin: he started his career as a singer on 1991, but it was his work as an MC that gave him popularity. He was the host of the show Star Golden Bell from 2004 to 2010. It was in 2010 that he took part of the cast of "Running Man" till this day. Among the members he's known as a very gullible person, he sets the female guests as his rival on the missions, and it was the "race starter" at the beginning of the show.  

• Gary: Kang Hee Gun is a well-known hip-hop singer, part of the duo LeeSsang. He was an amateur boxer for 10 years before entering the entertainment industry. He started as part of a group named X-teen on the late 90's, from which he meets his music partner Gil and later both left the group. Aside from the duo he has solo projects and collaborations with other artists, being the one with Jung In, the most successful one with the songs "Your Scent" and "Bicycle". Gary made his variety show debut with the "Running Man" members.          

• HaHa: mistaken as a comedian, Ha Dong Hoo is an entertainer better known for his comedic personality on variety shows. He was part of the sitcom Nonstop from 2002 to 2003, he later appeared on the last episode on 2006. His debut on the entertainment industry was as a singer and rapper for the group Z-kiri, group that failed and disbanded right after their promotions. Now he is a reggae singer and part of the variety shows "Infinite Challenge" (since 2005) and "Running Man". He is married to singer Byul since 2012, and have a son named Dream born on July 2013.         

• Song Ji Hyo: Cheong Seong Im is an actress and the only female member of the "Running Man". Her acting debut was on the third film of the "Whispering Corridors" series, "Wishing Stairs". But it was the role of the ballerina Min Hyo Rin in "Goong" that made her noticeable among the audience. One of her well-known projects is the historical movie "A Frozen Flower" on 2008, one of the highest grossing films of the year and where Song Joong Ki was also in it. She was the MC for the music show Inkigayo from November 2007 to May 2008, the former producer of this show Myeok PD, asked her to join the cast of Running Man. She was a guest till episode 5, and the followed one she was a fixed member.                

• Lee Kwang Soo: the "Prince of Asia" is an actor started his career at the sitcom "High Kick Through the Roof" on 2008, but he started his entertainment career as a model. He was proclaimed "Prince of Asian" since the Running Man filmed on other Asian countries and being mobbed with a great number of fans. But it's his unstoppable betrayals and framing that made the audience crack up. The funniest moments of Kwang Soo on "Running Man" (for me) are the ones when he's dancing, trying to eliminate Kim Jong Kook, and when he tries to make and alliance and end up betraying whoever he made the alliance with.        

Guests appearance had made the show even bigger. From idols, TV personalities and actors, all showing a new aspect of their personalities, those behaviors are the ones that drives the audience to watch every episode that they can. The guests that have made the most appearance to the show are: Jung Yong Hwa from the group CNBlue with 12 visits, he's known to be fast, agile and with a good ability for the nametag elimination game, one of his most proudest moment was when he eliminated Kim Jong Kook's nametag; Nichkhun from 2PM, has made 11 appearance to the show, he's one of the beastly idols being strong, fast and agile but you can’t be fooled with his look; Miss A's Suzy is the only female with the most visits to the show with 8 appearance, every time she is the show the members are cheerful and don’t want her to go. That is for the idols on the show, the members have a special relationship with the ex-football player Park Ji Sung. Every time the Korean legend comes to the show (that would be 9 times) the members have games involving the sport and end up on the Asian Dream Cup, a charity event where Ji Sung has one team with celebrities and football players. As for the actors, we have the good looking and charming Kim Woo Bin with 7 visits to the show. He's known for being very enthusiastic about the games and is very witty on the missions.

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Great Pairings, Games, and Memorable Episodes:  

Couples Pairings:

Song Ji Hyo and Kang Gary are the couple of the show, ON THE SHOW. Since her first appearance on the show the cast members joked about an admired among the guys, and it turned out to be Kang Gary. At the beginning, it was Gary the one who made the first approach with his cheesy comments and awkward behavior. With this kind of behavior, the cast members started to create situations for them to be together and pointed out actions with their mischievous comments. It was on the episode 10 that the cast members decided to leave them alone on the same room for them to get closer, their awkward interaction was what made the fans go crazy and fall for them. But what really made the biggest shock was the day that Ji Hyo said, “On Mondays I have a man”, whit this the "Monday Couple" was officially on the show. After this the production made a lot of efforts to pair them up on countless races, making the most hilarious episodes with their funny romance     

Besides the Monday Couple pairing, on the show there are other significant "couples" or "trios". At the beginning of the show Kim Jong Kook had for subordinates HaHa and Kang Gary. The Tiger being the oldest and strongest of the three, this group was named by production and the other members "Kook& the 2 Kids".  Also, there is "The Betrayers Club" with Suk Jin, Kwang Soo, and HaHa, being these three the ones that always stab the backs of the other members, for their own benefit and try to win the race. Besides being traitors, these two made an even funnier couple, "The Easy Brothers", Suk Jin and Kwang Soo, fighting and planning to eliminate the other members to win the race but also betraying each other at the end. We have also witnessed incredible story line on the show, that can lead to rivalry. This is the case with the two pillars of the show, Yoo Jae Suk and Kim Jong Kook. These two are known for always arguing and their incredible bickering moments since very beginning. When the members are divided in two teams they were most of the time the leaders of each. Another hilarious group is the "Unlucky Trio" composed by Yoo Jae Suk, Ji Suk Jin and Lee Kwang Soo. This trio is known for having the worst luck among the members, from lose on the missions and getting punish at the end to being eliminated on the worst scenarios, they just help us get the best time of our lives watching their crazy tasks. But you know what is the most fun interaction of the members, when they all decide to go against Kim Jong Kook. The Tiger is the enemy of all of them, because of his strength and withy, he's one of the Running Man's best players and the worst to face on the nametag elimination game.

   

Games:

Hide and Go Seek, Survival Game: When "Running Man" first started, one of the craziest and funniest games was the nametag elimination game but with hide and seek. For this game, the teams where assigned to attack with bells on their shoes for the other team to be aware of them, and the other one to defend. Believe me, the creativity they had to place the best space for hiding was marvelous and very entertaining. On one occasion, the Ace of the members was tired of being on the hiding team and wanted to be paired with the Tiger, giving them one episode and creating one of the strongest teams on "Running Man" history.

Mud Field Games: Another game that is usually a great source of laugh is the mud field games. Every time they play it is like they got a force from the mud. They energy and craziness goes beyond expectations in every single moment, making the audience very happy and expecting more games like this one. 

 

Memorable Episodes:

Best of the Best Match: on these episodes, the Running Man members compete to find out who is the best among them. Episodes 42, 74, 130, 196, 257 and 285. The first edition of the match ended with an elimination game, while the second one gave every member a special power, on these two occasions Gary was the winner. On a third match, the members traveled on time and then back to the present day, HaHa was the winner this time. Later, the members traveled on time again, but this time to important episodes where they could change the outcome, at the end they got back to the first match and the winner was Song Ji Hyo. The last "Best of the Best Match" reunited a great number of missions where the person who completed them successfully would win, with this HaHa became the winner once again.

Yoo-mes Bond: I think these episodes are very entertaining and can make you go crazy with all the laughter. Using water guns, Jae Suk, must eliminate his fellow members without them knowing. Episodes 38, 91, 140 and 231. These missions are always secretive, except for the last episode that it appeared a successor. On episode 231 Lee Kwang Soo was going to be tested to be the Yoo-mes Bond successor, but as it was expected the "Icon of Betrayal" made his mood at the end for which Jae Suk had to eliminate him. With this outcome Yoo-mes Bond persisted as the one and only winner and master of the water gun.   

   

 

Forever 7: The "Consensus" Episode (ep. 267), was the one that embarked the number 7 as symbol of comradery for the "Running Man" members. On this episode, 6 of the members had to pick on a random number and later Yoo Jae Suk had to jump the rope and stop on the number that he though the members choose. He stopped at number 7! That is why the members when hysterical and happy as they were a Team and a Family. Later, another episode Gary had to escape from a room, which had a coding lock, that code was 7012. In Korean, the word forever is 012, at the end you had "Forever 7". Which is the motto that the members had for the remaining episodes as seven.   

  

Re-invention of Running Man:

New PD: PD Im Hyung Taek left the show on March of 2016; he was part of "Running Man" since the beginning on 2010. He is now directing the Chinese version of the show. For four months, the show was under the direction of a collaboration of PDs, to later have Kim Joo Hyung as the official PD on July of 2016. He has appeared on camera before and is also known as "Myuk PD", myuk meaning collarbone, and the members always grabbing him out of frustration when the find injustice on the missions or on the turns of events. The transition to a new PD was a little overwhelming for the viewers, the show was a little slow and there were not much physical games on. The production later said that they were giving the members a break from all the running and exhaustion of the games, and try to heal any situation that they might have.

                                                      New PD Talks About The Games

Gary Leaves: On the episode of March 20, 2016, the members shared their worries with other members as part of a healing process. Gary shared his worries with Yoo Jae Suk, and let him know that he was concerned that he has left his passion of music behind and focused too much on the show. Since that episode, we saw a new side of Gary and how he truly felt towards the show, the members, the fans, and of course his career on the music industry. On October of 2016, it was announced that Kang Gary would leave the show to focus on his music, the members and production supported his decision. "Gary expressed his desire to focus on his music studies and revealed that he wants to invest more time on music. The "Running Man" producers decided to respect Gary's decision to pursue his main field as a musician. We sincerely appreciate Gary who has given great effort for "Running Man" as the original member for the past 7 years.” this is the statement from the show production. His last episode aired on November 13, where the members played a couple of games on Gary's building, where he lives and works. At the end of the episode, each member left a gift and a letter for Gary at his house. For all the members, and the viewers, it was a surprise to find out that for the follow up episode Gary was going to be the guest; it was a surprise for him too. The members had to complete a couple of missions and Gary was the key for them to win. Later, Gary was mentioned a couple of times on other episodes. After an awful scandal involving SBS, the PDs, and the possibility of Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook's departure from the show, the production decided to make a member’s week for each member, starting on January. On week four, it was a mystery whose week it was. The episode was a rematch of "Best of the Best Match", where they had super powers or where one of their memorable characters played before. It was later reveal that it was Gary's week, after he made an ambush scaring the remaining members on the match with his "Lol Los". Gary won two previous matches, the first two, and wanted a rematch since the last one HaHa won. At the end, Kwan Soo was the winner. On April of 2017 Gary announced on his Instagram that he got married on secret to a non-celebrity, since then he hasn’t made other public expression and none of his acutance has heard about him, later he deleted all his pictures from his account.

New Members: After Gary's departure, SBS wanted to re-invent the show, start anew. Rumors started to surface on the company until a bomb exploded, "Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook to leave Running Man", to later a more shocking headline, "Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook kick out of Running Man". The company, not the production, made the decision to let go Ji Hyo and Jong Kook of the show and bring a new member to the show, Kang Ho Dong. After all that awful controversy, Kang Ho Dong turned down the offer, which made it even worst and let the production to a crisis. The members demanded a rush reunion with the staff, which lead to the cancelation of the show. At the end of that reunion, the production, along with the members decided to end the show on February of 2017, for the remaining episodes Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo decided to not receive the paycheck and donate that money. Later, on the middle of January the CEO of SBS talked with all the members and apologized to each of them, they all later decided to stay on the show for their fans and for the camaraderie, they have. On April 3, it was confirmed that the show would have two new members, actress Jeon So Mi, andcomedian Yang Sea Chan. Both new members where guests on the show before, they had great chemistry with the cast, as they also had good reviews from the viewers. The show would have different games, but will not eliminate the iconic game of the "Name Tag Elimination Game". 

  

   

This will be the end of this post. I love “Running Man” (check the link), but for me it has changed so much that it is not the same. “Forever 7” has stuck in my heart and I hope that someday they get together again. You know which episode would be a great hit, a reunion with Song Joon Ki, Lizzy and Gary! (Hope this idea goes to the production of the show ^.~) Love you people, thanks for reading. Do not forget: “Run Don`t walk!”  

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